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West Ham close out preseason with Athletic Bilbao at home

By Adam Smith

SHANGHAI, CHINA - JULY 20: Felipe Anderson of West Ham United in action during the Premier League Asia Trophy 2019 match between West Ham United and Newcastle United at Shanghai Hongkou Stadium on July 20, 2019 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images for Premier League)
SHANGHAI, CHINA - JULY 20: Felipe Anderson of West Ham United in action during the Premier League Asia Trophy 2019 match between West Ham United and Newcastle United at Shanghai Hongkou Stadium on July 20, 2019 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images for Premier League) /
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The home form for West Ham gets a head start with La Liga team Athletic Bilbao coming to the London Stadium to close out the Hammers preseason matches. Here’s how the two teams line up!

West Ham:

The Hammers are coming off of a fiery battle with Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin. West Ham ended up overpowering the German team in a 5-3 win, coming from behind three times in the game. While the team showed resilience and a balanced attack (between their first team and second-half subs) defensive issues again rose to the surface.

Sure, some excuses are there – Aaron Cresswell and ben Johnson were both starting and neither are first choice in their positions, and Lukasz Fabianksi would have probably saved one of those goals against but was pulled for injury, but it’s still worrying!

Fabianski likely won’t be risked in this match so it’s up to Roberto and possibly David Martin to backstop the Irons. I would expect Fredericks also won’t play either as he is fighting off an injury as well but look for Masuaku to start in Cresswell’s place.

What we can end on is a memory of Irons new guy Pablo Fornals slamming a near half-pitch shot over the sleeping Bilbao keeper:

The metaphorical new-look West Ham that Fornals (and Haller) represent hopefully harkens back to skills and goals like the one above. Regardless, If West Ham can keep possession and defend from the front with a packed midfield, they’ll give their defense a break.

Athletic Bilbao:

The Spanish side remains heavily unchanged from last season, which could benefit them with team chemistry, or make them a predictable side for the Hammers. Regardless, the fast-paced attacking team finished a very respectable 8th in La Liga last season and will challenge the East London club.

The most exciting player on their team is no doubt pacey forward Inaki William. The striker has blinding speed and deceptive running ability which creates space for himself. He uses this space to set up his teammates as much as he hunts for goals, making him a dangerous threat when he’s on the ball.

Bilbao also have a solid 1-2 punch in their midfield with veteran string-puller Raul Garcia dictating play and Iker Muniain providing the offensive spark from the middle of the pitch. If these two can circumnavigate Declan Rice then Bilbao will have a greater chance of success in this preseason match.

Next. How many matches will Mr. West Ham Mark Noble see this season?. dark

The name of the game for Athletic Club Bilbao will be pressuring the shakey Irons’ backline and running straight at the center-backs on their counter-attacking runs. Bilbao is a solid team and will give the Hammers everything they can handle in this match. Likewise, West Ham will look to hone their skills ahead of their home opener with Manchester City on the horizon.